Frontier Group Project

Madagascar's dramatic forest landscape is home to a fascinating diversity of life, with baobab and aloe trees, lemurs, chameleons and a whole host of other species that are found nowhere else on Earth! Its fantastically beautiful coastline boasts coral reefs rich in marine species, perfect for diving and snorkelling, and silky sanded beaches ideal for soaking up the bountiful sunshine. Madagascar's culture is vibrant and diverse; you will find bustling markets full of multicoloured produce and hospitable locals shouting their wares.

Overall schools in Madagascar are basic and teachers are in high demand; therefore your contribution will be extremely valuable. You will assist local teachers to teach conversational and beginner’s English to these impoverished children, help with environmental education, and participate in other community activities. This truly will be an incredibly rewarding experience in one of the most extraordinary destinations in the world!

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Awaken your creativity & initiative as you immerse yourself in local culture

WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?

The majority of primary school-age children and 36% of secondary school-age children attend school. However, schools are severely under-funded and there is an unequal distribution of educational resources across the country. Poor and rural communities can only attend seriously disadvantaged public schools.

The vast majority of the population speaks only Malagasy, and there is a lack of foreign-language teachers. Your assistance can give children and adults a sense of confidence, encourage their enthusiasm and ambition, and even improve their opportunities for the future. To assist local teachers, you will need to be patient, flexible, a confident communicator and able to use your initiative and imagination. It would be helpful to have beginner's level French although not essential as you will have plenty of opportunities to learn! Lessons will be fun and interactive, developing the children's confidence and conversational skills. Over summer when there are school holidays you will continue to teach lessons in town, classes in the local villages near to our camp and adult education in Hellville. The local communities are extremely grateful for the support of the adult education classes, which are another rewarding aspect of this varied project.

We teach the majority of our lessons in Hellville at a Primary School based in the centre of town. Encompassing over 1500 children over 20 classes; this is not for the faint hearted. Class sizes average out at around 70 students and they are very eager to learn. Ages range from 6-11 and they are as fascinated by you as you will undoubtedly be by them so bring a big heart and bucket loads of enthusiasm and you will get on just fine! Our lessons range from assisting in class formal lessons to one-on-one education lessons to improve the knowledge of individual children struggling with the material. We also offer assistance to small group workshops to educate the children further in English and to further reaffirm the information we are teaching. Improvements in the children’s knowledge in a short period are immense and you will be as challenged as you will be rewarded by our programme. A core part of our work is ensuring we offer a professional and dedicated programme and this is inferred by a regular session of lesson planning for the following day’s work along with reporting the progress of the children’s activities for the school and our future reference.

Adult education classes are also offered by our group at the local youth community centre in town targeted at all ages and backgrounds. This is great fun and thoroughly rewarding as knowledge levels vary hugely and we engage primarily in spoken English tuition rather than anything more worksheet focussed. Many games are played and smiles are a plenty – brilliant entertainment and immeasurably rewarding.

We also occasionally teach at the local village school close to our base camp where the marine and forest programmes are located. This is a very different experience and offers a new and exciting challenge for the buccaneering volunteer engaging the children with more limited resources and an alternative approach. However, this is fantastic fun and a very valuable part of our work.

Students will be interested in life where you come from. You may be able to get involved teaching other activities such as sports, music or science, if you are interested and have the relevant skills. There will also be the possibility of working with our field conservation programmes to arrange collaborations for environmental education.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING?

Your work schedule will cover a comprehensive, varied and enjoyable teaching programme which will awaken your creativity and initiative. You may be helping a local teacher at the school as well as assisting teachers to formulate ideas and develop your teaching skills and techniques. You may be involved with activities such as assisting in marking pupil's work, and helping to produce an inspiring teaching strategy including preparing homework and assembling innovative and effective lesson plans.

As well as this you will have the opportunity to help with lots of extracurricular activities which will vary extensively depending on your personal skills and interests – whether it is helping organise a school show, playing football with the super competitive and highly skilled local kids.The teaching programme is demanding but thoroughly rewarding and is excellent preparation for anyone looking towards a career in teaching or who is just keen to get exposure to this worthwhile field of work.

Whatever you decide, you are sure to gain huge satisfaction from inspiring these communities, whilst significantly enhancing your own skills and experience.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I ARRIVE?

Volunteers arriving weekly on a Monday will be welcomed by a Frontier representative at Nosy Be airport. From here it's a short taxi or minibus ride from the airport to the centre of this vibrant town at to your accommodation at the Community House.

Independent travellers arriving on dates other than weekly on a Monday can arrange a separate airport collection (extra cost; £20GBP) by contacting the project staff in Nosy Be.

WHERE WILL I BE STAYING?

During the project you'll live in a wonderfully located community house, which is based in the centre of Hellville. You will experience a unique and memorable living experience. The house is approximately a ten minute walk from the local primary school where we base the majority of our work and has all of the principal amenities one would expect from such a setup – equipped kitchen, flushing toilet and running water shower! House life is however very simple, unsophisticated and fun and will give you as much as you are prepared to put into it. The ‘community’ feel of the house is excellent and you will be made to feel right at home.

WHAT WILL I BE EATING?

You will be provided with 3 simple and nutritious meals a day which will consists largely of locally sourced fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, rice, beans and noodles, most of which is purchased from the nearby market and thereby helps to support the local economy. Luxuries such as chocolate, peanut butter and Nutella are available in the town, so can be accessed if you wish to treat yourself every once in a while!

Part of your role in the volunteer house will be to help with the cooking. Creating spectacular meals over our marvellous kitchen stoves will become second nature: so get your cookbooks out now and start thinking up recipes! Also, with luck you'll be invited to local feasts and festivals – a great way to engage with local communities and discover local cuisines and cultures.

ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

A range of adventure and cultural activities like visits to remote villages, snorkelling, mountain treks and wildlife tours are available. You can arrange these in country which helps contribute to the local economy.

Scuba diving courses may be available (subject to availability of spaces and time constraints).

AIRPORT INFORMATION

Nearest airport(s):
Nossi-Be (NOS)

WHAT'S NOT INCLUDED

Flights

Flights are not included in our project costs. However, Frontier have partnered with an experienced and professional team of travel experts to help our volunteers find the best flight deals for their trips with Frontier. This travel specialist operates in the tailor-made, long haul multi-stop travel market, arranging complex airfares and transfers for independent travellers. They provide expertise, security and a vast product range along with a Travel Butler service which is a single point of contact and support whilst you are overseas.

We recommend that you obtain a quote using the following contact details rather than book online, as our partner will offer you the most competitive fares. To receive your quote or to seek any advice for your flights, please contact Frontier’s dedicated team of travel experts on 0800 082 9994 (or +44 800 082 9994 outside the UK) or email frontier@flightcentre.co.uk
.

Visas

Depending on your destination country and your country of origin, you might require a visa. Please see the appropriate country consular website for details or contact our affiliate visa consultancy service. Please note that your visa will usually start on the date that you enter the destination country regardless of when it was issued. Please check with the relevant embassy or high commission. If you are purchasing your visa or paying entry/exit fees in-country you will probably need to pay in US Dollars. If you have any questions please consult the relevant embassy or high commission. Please check the visa information regularly, as changes often happen without warning.

Insurance

You'll need to buy appropriate travel insurance covering your participation on the
project. You won't be able to go without the right travel insurance so double check
to avoid disappointment. Please make sure that you're covered for the whole duration
of your trip – from the day you leave the UK to the day you return. It's also best
to get your travel insurance at the same time as paying the deposit for your project.
Depending on your policy, this will cover you for any unexpected cancellations.

Cancellation and curtailment of your trip (up to the value of your project contribution).

If you are going to be scuba diving you should get coverage for scuba diving up
to 30m, including hyperbaric therapy treatment (unlimited). You should consider
obtaining insurance to cover you for any additional activities which you plan to
do during, before, or after your Frontier project. We recommend that you obtain
cover for your baggage and personal effects.

LEGAL STATEMENT
Frontier Partner Projects and Frontier group projects are run in partnership with
in-country NGOs, small community based organisations, local research institutes,
academic organisations and conservation agencies. Project descriptions and information
are supplied directly by our partners or field staff and are accurate at time of
publishing.

We aim to keep information up to date and accurate, however, the nature of our projects
and in particular the fact that they are constantly evolving and developing in response
to changing needs means that project activities, travel schedules, tour itineraries
and daily timetables can change overnight and without notice.

To apply for this project, or to register your interest, just click on the orange "Apply Now!" button at the top of the menu. Fill out and submit a short application form and then one of our advisors will give you a call back to answer any questions and to progress your application if you wish to continue.

There is no obligation when making an application, and you do not need to pay anything at this point.